[NEohioPAL]Berko review: Tartuffe; Rent preview

[Roy Berko]

TARTUFFE’ DELIGHTS, ANDREW MAY IS WONDERFUL AT GLTF;
‘RENT’ RETURNS

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	



Based on his spoken belief that, "The most effective
way of attacking vice is to expose it to public
ridicule" Moliere, considered to be France’s greatest
dramatist, laid the foundation for his revered farce,
‘TARTUFFE.’   The play, which is also known as ‘THE
HYPOCRITE,’ relates the story of an attempt by
Tartuffe, a scheming hypocrite, to destroy the
happiness of Orgon, a well-to-do Parisian householder.
 Orgon is so deceived by the villain’s manipulations
that he makes Tartuffe the master of the house,
including promising the marriage of the charletan to
Marianne, Orgon’s daughter.  The play illuminates how
right wins out over wrong through a series of
hysterically funny scenes.  

Though the approach may seem time-worn by modern day
standards, when Molliere crafted this work, he was
assailing Parisian foibles in a new theatrical mode. 
The play, which now seems delightfully harmless,
incited some theatre-owners to ban it from production.
 That withstanding, Moliere has drawn admiration few
dramatists have equalled.  He has developed characters
like Orgon and Tartuffe which are considered to be
classically crafted.  His works, along with
Shakespeare’s, have stood the test of time and have
become classics.

Drew Barr, except for a casting error, has created a
fine production.  The pace, keying of laughter, and
the creation of visually pleasing stage pictures is
well done.    The epitome for setting the farcial tone
was Scott Plate’s heaven-sent entrance as the King’s
soldier, complete with fanfares and billowing smoke
and a long, elegant march down the staircase.

Little did Moliere know, when the play was produced
for the first time at Versailles in 1664 that an
Andrew May would come along in a 2003 production of
‘TARTUFFE’ at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival to
make his Orgon everything that the writer intended. 
No one--repeat--no one can play farce better than May.
 He makes an art form of mumfering, fumphering,
bulging out his eyes, getting caught in mid-word
stutter, and displaying enormous pain in the most
hysterical of ways.  He does it with ease and
naturalism.  This is not acting a role, this is May
being Orgon.  If you loved May in the Cleveland Play
House’s ‘I LOVE HAMLET’ several seasons ago, you will
fall in love with him all over again in ‘TARTUFFE.’ 
May is nothing short of astoundingly outstanding. 
Applause, applause, standing ovation!

Laura Perrotta as the sharp-tongued maid, Dorine, is a
perfect foil for May.  She inserts  all the right pins
to set him off in anguish.  This is Perrotta at her
finest!   

Aled Davies is delightful as Cleante, Orgon’s
brother-in-law who can’t say anything  other than with
pompous long-windedness.  Paula Duesing, as Orgon’s
mother, gets caught in the rhyming trap of stressing
beat and cadence rather than meaning in her early
speeches, but recovers well,  speaking ideas as the
play progresses.  Sara M. Bruner, who has made a
career of playing "sweet young things," is a very
competent sweet young thing, once again, as Orgon’s
daughter Mariane.   Wayne Turney is delightful as the
bailiff.  He gets the most out of a brief appearance.

Steve Tague feigns Tartuffe.  As the gentlemen sitting
behind me said at intermission," "Come on now, how
could Orgon be fooled by that obvious act being put on
by Tartuffe?" Right on, fellow theatre-goer.  Tague’s
was an all surface portrayal with little texture. Left
to Tague’s sole performance, ‘TARTUFFE’ would have
missed the mark as much as ‘HAMLET’ did when he failed
to well-develop that lead role.  But, fortunaely, an
otherwise strong cast saved the day.

Gage Williams scenic design and Kim Krumm Sorenson’s
costumes aid greatly in creating the right illusions.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: ‘TARTUFFE’ is a "go see." You get
to experience Andrew May in action, while also
enjoying one of the great comedic plays by one of the
world’s greatest writers in a solid production.

For tickets to ‘TARTUFFE’ and ‘HAMLET’ which run in
tandem through November 9, call GLTF’s box office at
216-241-6000 or 800-766-6048.

‘RENT ‘RETURNS TO PALACE

The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning landmark
American musical ‘RENT,’ written by Jonathan Larson,
is coming back again to Playhouse Square’s Palace
Theatre in Cleveland for 8 performances from January
6th thru the 11th.  Tickets may be purchased by phone
at 216-241-6000 or by logging onto
www.playhousesquare.com.


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